|
GENEALOGY PATHFINDER HOW TO BEGIN GENEALOGICAL RESEARCH
It is important for a person to have a sense of "where they come from" and "who" they are. Daniel Webster once said, "If a person does not know from whence he came, he will not care much about where he is going." Talk to older members of your family and do a little research into your family history. Some of your ancestors may have served in the American Revolution, the War of 1812, the Mexican War, the War Between the States, World War I, World War II, the Korean War, Desert Storm, or some of the more recent conflicts. Remember women served in all these conflicts too. The first thing you do is fill out an ‘Ancestor Chart’. USE a pencil to fill out the chart so you can erase errors. Fill in the ancestor chart as completely as possible. List dates as follows: day, month, and year. Ex. 5 May 1987 Write the last name first, then given name (first name). Always write the female’s maiden name in and not her married name. If the maiden name is unknown then leave the space blank. Attach a Family Group Sheet behind your ancestor chart for each level of ancestors for additional information. Ex. Sheet #2 behind your genealogy chart will be for your parents’ level. It will list your siblings and yourself in birth order. Sheet #3 will be for the grandparents’ level and should show your parents with their siblings in birth order. Here is where you may include information such as: occupations, hobbies, war service, cause of death, and other interesting facts. Research the origin of your surname. There are books at the Birmingham Public Library that give the meanings of surnames. There are also web pages that provide surname lists and the meanings of surnames. Write one page on an ancestor you found to be either of the following: Most interesting and why Most embarrassing and why Most courageous and why
Document every piece of information you find. If the information is given to you orally, state the name of the person giving you the information. If you got the information from a family bible, then give the name of the owner of the bible. If you found the information in a cemetery, then give the name of the cemetery and its location. SUGGESTIONS ON RESEARCHING In order to obtain information start by asking the oldest members of your family questions such as: a. Have you always lived here, did my grandparents always live here b. Where were your born c. How did you meet each other and where did you go to school
|
 |
Birmingham Public Library |
|
|
[home] [calendar] [catalog] [contact us] [databases] [resources] [services] [view your record]
|
||
| COPYRIGHT©1996-2006 The Birmingham Public Library. | ||
